House cleaner made me happier, healthier and more productive.

Just ask Jenny

I learn something new every time I get my hair done by Jenny, my gregarious hairdresser, who declared to the ladies in the salon last week that using a house cleaner ‘made me happier, healthier and more productive.’

I wanted to know more as I was entertaining the idea myself and the hairdresser has over the years proven to be the place to provide answers to any of my questions. If a house cleaner made me happier, healthier and more productive I was ready jump right in and give it a go, after all everyone uses a cleaner these days I’m told.

Jenny is in her late 50’s and looks the part with her blunt haircut and unique style. She said she had no guilt in deciding to use a house cleaner as has never really been interested in cleaning her house, yet describes herself as a fairly clean person. ‘I didn’t feel a failure because having a house cleaner made me happier, healthier and more productive’ she reiterated. You’re not going to look back on your life wishing you had cleaned more but you will appreciate the time given back to you when you get help.

Jenny says there isn’t much I need to bother with in between cleans however ‘The only thing I insist on is that everyone who uses the shower sprays it with this magic product you just leave on – the shower recess looks amazing. My family and every visitor who use the shower knows this and will be scolded if they don’t spray it’, she says in a half joking manner.

Once she decided to use a house cleaner, Jenny said she was so relieved and it was a huge weight off her shoulders. She even has a cleaner for her salon, though not the same one. ‘It frees me up to do other things that I enjoy, especially now I am working full- time and have young grandchildren to care for every Monday on my day off’.

‘It’s so wonderful to come home to a clean house that smells great’, Jenny says. At first she was reluctant to use a cleaner, and had some reservations, though not over things you might think. ‘I have had the same cleaner for close to twenty years and have panic attacks at the thought she will retire’, Jenny professes. ‘I used to be one of those women who rushed around to clean the house before the cleaner came, worried what she would think of the mess particularly having three small children. These worries were short lived and I don’t bother doing anything much except making sure there is nothing she can trip over. I went from having weekly cleans with the kids at home and now it is fortnightly.’

‘My cleaner would give incentives to my kids. A certificate awarded to the cleanest room would be left on the bed; my room was often the winner much to the dismay of my kids’, Jenny joked. ‘Once they became teenagers they lost interest and didn’t bother cleaning their rooms, but it worked for many years’.

‘It took a couple of different cleaners and some funny stories along the way before I was blessed with the one I have now who is an integral part of the family. If I want anything extra cleaned, I just leave her a note. Over the years I have recommended her to everyone. She has scaled down her workload and now only works at my place and a couple of others. She comes fortnightly and it is now just about maintaining the house. The kids are all grown up and have left home and it’s a large house with only two people living in it. ‘I wouldn’t be able to cope without help’.

‘Do you have a cleaner?’ Jenny enquires? When I tell her I do not, she looks at me like I’m crazy – then says ‘well you need one.’ I tell her about a platform called ‘whizz’ I’ve been looking at that contracts cleaners and show her the app I have downloaded on my phone. It has all the information about what to expect with a clean. They can clean your house weekly, fortnightly, or ‘on demand’ It specifies what is included in a house clean so you know how much it will cost without any hidden expenses. The prices are fixed. They also provide extra’s like cleaning the oven or the pantry.

It seems they are flexible and the good thing is they bring all their own cleaning gear and products which is really convenient and cost effective in the long run. Whizz ensures you will be happy with your clean, if you are not, they will send someone back to rectify the problem within 24 hours. Whizz likens cleaning to dating – ‘It might take a couple of goes before you’re happy’.

Jenny says that one day it will be inevitable that her cleaner will retire and she will be lost without her but tries not to think about that. She has the place smelling and looking great and knows every inch of Jenny’s 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. Jenny would rather spend any spare time with her grandkids or watching the many shows on TV that she is addicted to.

As someone looking to spend less time cleaning, the option of a fortnightly clean is attractive to me and an exercise in self-care. Getting that time back that it takes to clean will allow me to enjoy life more. I’ll be able to do the things I have wanted to do and haven’t been able to because I haven’t the time or energy. I, like Jenny will be able to tell others how having a house cleaner made me happier, healthier and more productive. It suits me that I don’t have to be around for a Whizz clean and it provides peace of mind to know the contractors are all police checked and insured.